It Changed My Life

It Changed My Life: I always hire people who are better than me, says Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong

Without good staff, Changi Airport Group chairman says he wouldn't have come so far

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After a failed exam caused him to repeat a school year when he was a child, Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong resolved never to fail again.
Mr Liew Mun Leong at his office in Changi Airport. In the background is a portrait of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, painted by French artist Jean-Pierre Blanchard.
Mr Liew Mun Leong at his office in Changi Airport. In the background is a portrait of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, painted by French artist Jean-Pierre Blanchard. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Left: Mr Liew being conferred the French Legion of Honour in Paris in 2017, which honoured his personal achievements and contribution to France's economy. Right: Mr Liew (third from right) at the launch of real estate investment trust CapitaMall Trus
Mr Liew (third from right) at the launch of real estate investment trust CapitaMall Trust's listing in 2002. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIEW MUN LEONG
Mr Liew Mun Leong at his office in Changi Airport. In the background is a portrait of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, painted by French artist Jean-Pierre Blanchard.
Mr Liew being conferred the French Legion of Honour in Paris in 2017, which honoured his personal achievements and contribution to France’s economy. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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In 2007, Mr Liew Mun Leong - then chief executive of CapitaLand - received a staggering $20.52 million bonus for helping the property developer achieve a record profit of $2.76 billion that year.

He is a wealthy man, but wealth, he says, means nothing to him.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on February 03, 2019, with the headline It Changed My Life: I always hire people who are better than me, says Changi Airport Group chairman. Subscribe